Pump apparatus



April 25, 1967 v J. J. PIROS 3,315,606

PUMP APPARATUS Filed Dec. 24, 1964 INVENTOR.

J'OH/V J. P/R0$' k g zlm ATTORNEYS.

FIG. 2

United States Patent 3,315,606 PUMP APPARATUS John J. Piros, Homewood,Ill., assignor to Sinclair Research, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporationof Delaware Filed Dec. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 420,926 7 Claims. (Cl. 103-37)This invention pertains to a new type of pump which is of value wheneverthe movement of precise amounts of fluid is desired. The pump is compactand its flow rate is controllable, reproducible and can be essentiallycontinuous. It can also be made to operate at high pressures. Theessential pumping element in the apparatus of this invention is one ormore coiled tubes, for example, of the Bourdon tube type. The tube usedin this invention is usually metallic and is of relatively thin gauge.Before coiling the tube may have a cross-sectional shape which iscircular, oval, parallelepiped, etc., and this shape often will be, to agreater or lesser extent, flattened in the coiling. Generally somepressure is applied to the tube to keep it somewhat tightly coiledduring its use. Tubes such as those described have the valuable propertyof tending to uncoil when internal pressure is applied. Thus, with oneend of the tube fixed, a change of fluid pressure in the interior of thetube causes a change in volume and a resultant movement of the other,free end of the coiled tube. The extent of this movement, in a Bourdontube, is used to determine a pressure change. The coil may be a spiralor a helix.

In this invention, one end of the coiled tube is held fixed and itsinterior, at or near this fixed end, is connected to a source of thefluid to be pumped and to an outlet for this fluid. The free end of thecoiled tube is connected to a source of motive power for coiling anduncoiling movement of this free end. The resulting movement of the freeend brings about a change in the internal volume of the coiled tube tocause suction or pressure in the line leading to the interior of thetube at the fixed end. Thus, in this invention the coiled tube isprovided with means to move the free end and with a suitable controlarrange ment, e.g. a valve system, to assure movement of fluid in thedesired direction. The result of several movements of the free end ofthe tube, therefore, comprises a pumping effect, but without thefriction and/or leakage factors associated with positive displacementpumps of the piston variety. More or less continuous pumping, that is,essentially continuous flow through the outlet of the pumping system canbe accomplished by the use of a plurality of tubes sufiiciently out ofphase with each other that the desired continuity of fluid flow will beattained. Thus, while one tube may be forcing out fluid to an outlet,another may be drawing in fluid from the pump system inlet. In apreferred embodiment of this invention, two tubes having exactlyopposite cycles, that is, one spiralling clockwise around the fixed end,the other counterclockwise, may be employed.

Coiling and uncoiling movement of the coiled tube may be attained by theuse of any convenient source of mechanical power, usually a source ofreciprocating motion, and the flow rate of the pumping system may bealterable by the use of a variable speed power source and/ or by use ofan adjustable mechanical linkage between power source and Bourdon tubeto vary the length of the stroke. Adjustability of rate may also beaccomplished by further coiling or uncoiling of the Bourdon tube ortubes in the gang.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partly in crosssection, of a preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 shows schematically an alternate fluid inlet and outlet meansin a first position; and

FIGURE 3 shows this latter means in a second position.

The apparatus will usual-1y provide an armature or chassis 11 having asupport 13 for a power source 15, usually a variable speed electricmotor. The chassis 11 will also generally provide a support 18 for aspiral Bourdon type or other coiled tube. In the preferred embodimentillustrated, there are two tubes 20 and 22 spirally and oppositely woundaround the ends, for example, 25, of cylinder 30 which is supported byarm 33 from support 18.

Support 18 may also provide for passage of the ducts 36 and 39 to theinner and interior ends of tubes 20 and 22 respectively. The inner endsare the ends adjacent and fixed to the cylinder 30 The tubes 20 and 22usually also are supplied with the capped vents 42 and 44 respectively.The yoke 46 is more or less rigidly attached to each of tubes 20 and 22,preferably near the free end of each tube. Yoke 46 is reciprocated byrod 48 which is pivoted at 50 to link 53, which in turn pivots at 55, aconnection to the disc 57. It will be observed that 55 may represent anut which can be loosened to change the effective length of link 53thereby adjusting the length of stroke of rod 48 while still serving toconvert the rotary motion of disk 57 into a reciprocating motion of yoke46.

It can be readily seen from the drawing of FIGURE 1 that movement of theyoke 46 toward the support 18 as indicated by the arrow causes looseningor an uncoiling motion of the spiral tube 20, thereby increasing thevolume of the tube and creating a suction in line 36 and at the sametime causes a tightening or further coiling motion of the spiral tube 22thereby decreasing the volume of this tube and squeezing out fluidcontained therein. At the end of the forward motion of yoke 46, the yokemoves away from the support 18 in the downstroke, tightening the spiralof 20 to squeeze out-fluid drawn in the up-v stroke and loosening thespiral of 22 to cause suction in this tube.

A number of means may be adopted to convert the fluid handling forces ofthe coiled tubes into net fluid movement. In FIGURE 1, this meansincludes a fluid inlet line 60 and a fluid outlet line 63. Inlet line 60branches into a plurality of inlet ducts, for example, 66 and 68 whichlead to a suitable valve system, for example, to check valvearrangements 70 and 72 respectively. Outlet line 63 collects fluid froma similar number of outlet ducts 75 and 77, leading from check valvearrangements and 82 respectively. When line 36 is in suction valve 70will be open as illustrated and valve 80 will be closed causing movementof fluid from line 60 through valve 70 and duct 36 to tube 20. Usuallysimultaneously with suction in line 36, there will be pressure in line39 causing valve 72 to close and valve 82 to open as illustrated,allowing fluid to move from tube 22 through duct 39, valve 82 and duct77 to outlet line 63. Reversal of the pressures in the tubes 20 and 22due to reciprocation of the yoke 46 causes a reversal of the action ofvalves 70, 80, 72 and 82 with a resulting more-or-less continuousmovement of a measured amount of fluid from inlet 60 to outlet 63.Although check-valves 70, 72, 80 and 82 are shown as gravity biased tothe closed position, they may be spring-biased, etc., as is well knownto the art.

In FIGURES 2 and 3 a rotating multiport valve is used instead of acheck-valve arrangement to assure continuity of fluid movement. Themultiport valve may have a plurality of internal passages, e.g. 84 and88; Rotation of the valve may be accomplished for example by electrictiming means or by a mechanical linkage associated with the yoke 46,disc 57, etc. Thus during suction in line 36, passage 84 connects inletline 60 with line 36 to bring fluid to the tube 20, as shown in FIG- URE2. Simultaneously, passage 88 connects line 39 to 7 tube 20. Generallythe tubes 20 and 22 are filled with the fluid to be pumped before thestart of a pumping operation. 7

In an apparatus made according to the embodiment of FIGURE 1 of thisinvention, two steel Bourdon-type tubes, having spirals of five fullturns were useable under pressures varying from -600 psi. The spiralshave a change in volume of about 0.1 ml. for 45 of movement. The pumpcan operate over a range of abont /s ml. per hour to about 90 ml. perhour under about 300 p.'s.i. outlet pressure.

It is claimed: 7

' 1; A positive displacement pump having an inlet means and an outletmeans, a first conduit and a second conduit each connected at one end bya valve system to "said inlet and outlet means and at the other end tothe interior of a first and a second coiled tube, respectively, at thefixed ends of said tubes, the first of said coiled tubes having a freeend wound clockwise around said fixed end, the second of said coiledtubes having a free endzwound counterclockwise around said fixed end,said free ends being fixedly attached to a single source ofreciprocating motion.

2. The pump of claim 1 in which the source of reciprocating motion is'avariable-speed motor.

3. The pump ofcla im 1 in which the extent of reciprocation isadjustable. f

4. A pump comprising support means, at least two hollow coiled tubeseach having a fixed end attached 5. A pump comprising a chassis having asupporting tube means thereon, at least two hollow coiled tubes eachhaving a movable end and a fixed end attached'to said supporting tubemeans, the movable end of one of said coiled tubes being wound clockwisearound the fixed end thereof and the movable end of the other of said.coiled tubes being wound counterclockwise around the fixed end thereof,yoke means interconnecting said movable ends of the two coiled tubes, aninlet and outlet. 7

means comprising a separate conduit means for each said coiled tubeconnected to the interior thereof at the fixed end, a source ofreciprocating motion including motor'means mounted on said chassis anddrive means,- operatively interconnecting said motor means and said,

yoke means to alternately coil and I uncoil [said two coiled tubes inopposite phase whereby said tubes are alternately placed undersuctionand pressure, saidd'rive means including a rotatably'mounted discoperatively connected to. said motor means, a drive shaft attached tosaid yoke means and means interconnecting said disc i a and drive shaftfor translating the rotary movement of said disc toreciprocatingmovement of said shaft.

6. The pump of claim 5 wherein said means interconnecting said disc anddrive shaft comprises a plate" attached to said disc,-said shaft beingpivotally attached I tosaid plate off center with respect to said disc.a

to saidsupport means and amovableend, the movable end of one,of saidcoiled tubes being wound clockwise the other of said coiled tubesbeingwound counterclocknecting said movable ends of the two coiledtubes, an

' around, the'fixed end thereof and the movable end of inlet and outletmeans comprisinga separate conduit actuation of said-motor means wherebysaid tubes are means foreachsaid coiled tube connected to the interior Ithereof at thejfixed end, a source of reciprocating motion j tgincludingmotor means, support means for said motormeans and drive meansoperatively interconnectingsaid motor meansand said yoke means toalternately coil and uneoil said two coiled tubes in'opposite phase upon7. The pump of claim 6 wherein said plate hasa slot therein andincluding means for adjustably attaching said plate to said disc throughsaid' slot whereby the point of attachment of said shaft to said plateis adjustable with respect to the center of said disc. 7

References Cited by'theExaminer UNITED STATES fPATENTS 157,406 12/18741,973,180 9/1934 Scott 10s- 148 2,428,912 10/1947 Hulsberg 103 ,1 183,020,846 2/1962 Thomas '1. 103 148 3,046,903 7/1962 "Jones .1034149FOREIGN PATENTS 1,137,097 1/1957 France, 7 7 482,827 9/1929 Germany,

3,152 12/1904 Great Britain. 108,771 8/1917 GreatBritain. 368,193 2/1939nay.

l LAURENCE v. EFNER, Przfinafy Examiner."

Leas 103-148-

1. A POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMP HAVING AN INLET MEANS AND AN OUTLETMEANS, A FIRST CONDUIT AND A SECOND CONDUIT EACH CONNECTED AT ONE END BYA VALVE SYSTEM TO SAID INLET AND OUTLET MEANS AND AT THE OTHER END TOTHE INTERIOR OF A FIRST AND A SECOND COILED TUBE, RESPECTIVELY, AT THEFIXED ENDS OF SAID TUBES, THE FIRST OF SAID COILED TUBES HAVING A FREEEND WOUND CLOCKWISE AROUND SAID FIXED END, THE SECOND OF SAID COILEDTUBES HAVING A FREE END WOUND COUNTERCLOCKWISE AROUND SAID FIXED END,SAID